Hurricane Fiona made a whirlwind visit to the Maritimes on the weekend, and has certainly left an impression wherever she visited. Here in Amherst, N.S. we got off rather lucky, our area of town in particular.
We lost power during the night as the storm raged; the winds were wicked. Before stepping outside to assess damage in the morning, we were greeted with this odd view from a kitchen window. There were leaves covering everything!
Even the house was plastered!
There were several large trees down on our street, including this one which fell across the road.
We spent the day getting the new invertor generator connected to the essentials in the house. I am happy to say it worked wonderfully, and by the end of the day - miraculously! - Nova Scotia Power had our electricity restored. Yay! It took another day to get internet but we are far from complaining, as most of our town and province are still without power, and will be for several days yet.
Yesterday we took a drive along the Parrsboro shore, all the way to Truro. The damage is widespread, with many trees on power lines, roof shingles and siding missing, and some sheds overturned. This scene in Great Village, of the former United Church, is particularly sad.
This huge picturesque church stands at the centre of the village. We understand that crews are working now to safely remove the steeple.
The closer we got to Truro, the more pronounced the damage. Many streets were blocked by trees. (This is Smith Avenue).
Arlington Place
If you look closely at the below Victoria Street scene, you can just make out a car buried under this tree.
Roosevelt Avenue
Back in Amherst, the damage to large, older trees is significant.
We understand power crews from New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and Maine are helping with the restoration of power to our province. Warming stations have opened up in most communities to offer hot tea and a place to charge devices. We witnessed long, long line-ups at the few gas stations that are open. This picture was taken this morning.
We feel so very blessed to have not suffered any damage from the storm, and our fingers are crossed that "normal" will be restored quickly.
Fiona spared no one or no tree, and power to be restored is wonderful.I saw a photo of a very long queue of people waiting for gas for their generators. We have one, and it runs the gas califont, the jug can be plugged into it, even in winter the electrtic blankets can get a turn. At another home years ago, we had a system where we turned off the mains power switch and plugged in the generator and had power.Now, that isn't done, as far as I know, in NZ. Damage to the old buildings is so sad, hope the steeple can be repaired and put back later on. Hope you will be safe from further damage in NS and neighbouring areas.
ReplyDeleteWhile there was a lot of damage and so many beautiful trees were lost, I'm happy no lives were lost and you and your family are ok. I'm impressed your local power was turned on so quickly, even internet. Very impressive services! I'm sure it is going to be awhile for cleanup, but I'm truly happy you are ok. Thanks for sharing this update. I too hope things go back to "normal" for you and your community very soon.
ReplyDeleteFiona was a wild storm, wrecking havoc wherever she went. We had damage from a microburst a few weeks ago, lots of good old trees were lost on the island. I am glad you were mostly spared…so sad about the church steeple. It is frightening to see these strong storms and Fiona’s wrath was relentless.
ReplyDeleteOh my.....so much damage, and those big beutiful trees didn't just grow overnight. The streets will be strange without them. Even the church steeple, those winds must have been very strong. The pics with the shredded leaves put me in mind of The Great Sefton Hailstorm in March 1990, it was like that where we lived at the time with no garden left unspared.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are okay, prayers for you all.
ReplyDeleteIt is going to take awhile to get everything cleaned up. Having power is a great first step. (We sent you some of our hydro.crews.)
ReplyDeletedear karen, i am so sorry for the news of the storm. glad you are alright. have just discovered your instagram and blog. wonderful.
ReplyDeleteplease sign me up for your blog. debcox1953@yahoo.ca thanks every so kindly.